Encouragement

Around Midnight

by Stephanie White 
09/28/16
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Acts 16:25 NLT
Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.

Midnight is a dark time, but it's also the beginning of a new day.  Midnight is often portrayed as a time of trial or season of adversity, but we can also see it as the beginning of something new. How we choose to see things is imperative.

Things didn't look promising for Paul and Silas and they may not look promising for you, either, but we don't have to live by what we physically see. 

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT  For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!  So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

We must learn to focus on God's promises rather than the trial.  What we fill ourselves with will become apparent.  Paul and Silas were able to pray and sing because they weren't focused on their current situation; they filled themselves with God's promises and praise was a result.  They were looking ahead to God's final verdict for their situation instead of dwelling on the present problem.  We can learn much from this. 

The trial you are now facing has an expiration date.  God has a good plan for you and He is at work right now even if you cannot see it.  Abide in His Word; receive His joy and peace today.  You're about to experience a new beginning!